


Going to the Chapel

by acs



Series: The Harbinger's Tale [3]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Gilmore Girls
Genre: Crossover, Crossover Pairings, F/F, International Day of Femslash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-19
Updated: 2015-07-19
Packaged: 2018-04-10 01:22:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4371719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acs/pseuds/acs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On a trip to Vegas, Buffy rescues a Stars Hollow Irrregular, finding herself in a closer relationship than she could have imagined. Rory Gilmore? She doesn't really remember.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Going to the Chapel

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer:** Rory and all things "Gilmore Girls" belong to Amy Sherman-Palladino and others, including Warner Bros. Television. All things BtVS belong to Joss Whedon and the late lamented Mutant Enemy. I don't claim ownership of anything beyond the story idea used to bring the two fandoms together here. This is an unauthorized, deriviative work. 
> 
> **Words:** 6,512
> 
> * * *
> 
> Written for the **2015 International Day of Femslash**  
> 
> 
> * * *
> 
> This is a prequel to a story posted elsewhere at this point ([For the Benefit of Ms Kite](http://www.tthfanfic.org/Story-15510/acs+For+the+benefit+of+Ms+Kite.htm) which will eventually be posted here) and takes place several months after the end of the currently incomplete "The Devils Girl".
> 
> * * *

If she hadn’t been a slayer, or known in advance, Buffy wouldn’t have had any idea that her hosts were Ragnok demons, members of a small tribe of neutral demons that had relocated to the Nevada area during the Russian revolution. Over the years, they had come to provide protection from supernatural mischief for a large number of the casinos and hotels in Vegas, often just by their presence.

The old Council had ignored them, preferring to deal with local problems directly, but had taken advantage of their presence in the city on several occasions. The new Council, under Giles’ leadership, preferred to make formal alliances where and when possible. Which had led to Buffy being the face of the Council while the final touches were put on the treaty they’d spent the last year negotiating.

"So, we’re happy with this?" she asked the clan matriarch, looking up from the document they’d been working on for the last week. "We’ll send this off to the lawyers to review?"

"Yes," the matriarch, Lady Sally, said. "We accept the conditions of the Council in exchange for this alliance. But there is one more thing, a request before we will sign. To show good faith between our tribe and the clan of Slayers we have a problem we would like you to assist us with."

"What kind of problem?" Buffy asked, frowning.

"Several young females of your kind have disappeared while visiting our city," Lady Sally said. 

"Isn’t that a job for the local police?" Buffy said. 

"They disappear after visiting bars in several of the casinos we protect," Lady Sally said. "Our patrons have demanded action from us. If this is not resolved soon they will bring in outsiders."

"I’m assuming it is more than a simple disappearance," Buffy said.

"Yes," Lady Sally said. "A mage and his odious minions are rumoured to have claimed to have taken them," she said. "We have been unable to detect how he is doing this or where he has taken them. He has only been in our city for the last month."

"Okay, that doesn’t sound good. Usually they try to hide and don’t brag," Buffy said. "We’ll help." She nodded at Vi and Jess leaning against the wall. Nodding back, they moved closer.

"Jen here will assist you," Lady Sally said, waving over a short redheaded Ragnok. Nodding at them both she rose and left the room, followed by her retinue.

"Jen?" Buffy said.

"Yes, ma’am?"

"You’ll need to show us what you have on this. The victims, the mage, any known minions," Buffy said. "Security cameras. Everything."

"Yes, Ma’am," she said. "If you follow me, we can go over it in my office."

* * *

It had taken a day to go through the evidence, and they were now on their third night of watching and so far nothing. Just hours of boring people watching. Jess and Vi were each staking out one of the other bars doing their own watching. It had seemed so simple. Find a potential victim, follow them to the mage, beat up the mage and rescue any living victims. But if nothing happened soon she’d have to involve Giles and the others.

Taking a cautious sip from her glass of white wine, Buffy looked around the small bar. There seemed to be nothing special about it, other than the faint hum of background magic leaking from the casino it was attached to. It certainly didn’t look like a place some dubiously evil mage would use to find sacrifices. If she hadn’t seen the security footage of the missing young women walking zombie-like towards the exit, and then disappearing as they crossed through it, she wouldn’t have believed it. 

Speaking with the bartenders and waitresses who’d been there at the times it had happened, there hadn’t seemed to be anything special about them, other than being from out of town. The Ragnok demons had gone to great lengths to attempt to track them down, from when they arrived in Vegas until they disappeared. 

Of the dozen missing women, they’d managed to find ten hotel rooms but their possessions had disappeared by that point leaving no clues to help with the investigation. The other two, they’d decided were tourists just passing through. They didn’t seem to have anything in common other than the obvious, female and in their early to mid twenties. Not exactly candidates for virgin sacrifices. If one hadn’t been a relative of one of the casino owners, it was possible no one would have noticed for months.

Putting down her glass, Buffy watched as a slim brunette, dressed in casual clothes, matching the basic profile of the missing women, sat down at the bar several stools away and order a drink. Attractive, but not someone who would normally stand out in a crowd. But there was something about her that pinged Buffy’s senses. Something she hadn’t run into before and couldn’t quite quantify. It was almost as if she was just a little bit cleaner than everyone else. Sort of like she had a faint glow. A Disney Princess kind of glow.

Buffy shook her head, wondering if that second glass of wine had been one too many, though she wasn’t feeling any effects from it. She unobtrusively waved over the Ragnok bartender on duty.

"Hey Freddy," she said in a low voice. "What do you see when you look at her?" She nodded at the brunette, who was staring down at her glass, some kind of beer in a bottle.

"Human," Freddy said, shrugging.

"No glowing? Or sparkly cleanness?"

"No…" he gave her a look. "Nothing special."

"Huh." Buffy frowned. "Keep an eye on her anyway."

"Yes, ma’am," he said, going back to the other end of the long bar to speak to the other bartender.

* * *

The brunette had been sitting at the bar for almost an hour, and was on her second drink, when a nondescript old man sat down between her and Buffy. He spoke to her for several minutes, waving his arms around, before getting a head shake, an obvious dismissal. Buffy wondered what he’d said. 

Ten minutes after he’d left, the brunette had finished her drink, and stiffly slid off her stool. With slightly stiff movements she started walking to the door. As she passed, Buffy noticed that her eyes seemed blank, as if she was in a trance. And the earlier glow was gone.

Buffy quickly text’d Vi and Jess 'Might have a live one.' They’d have to use one of Willow’s tracking charms to catch up if she didn’t want to lose her.

Not waiting for a reply, she slid off of her own stool and followed, catching up to her slow moving target just as she reached the door. Just as she stepped through, Buffy reached out and grabbed her arm. There was a low thud that Buffy felt in her bones, a sudden chill and everything went dark.

* * *

The next thing Buffy knew, she was lying facedown on a cold cement floor. She struggled to move, but her muscles wouldn’t co-operate. She couldn’t even open her eyes, her eyelids too heavy to move. She hadn’t felt this helpless since digging herself out of her own grave years ago.

"What do we have here?" said a voice like a nail on a rusty wheel. "An uninvited guest? Igor, chain her up!"

"My name isn't Igor," another voice said, grumbling. "What are we going to do with her?"

"I’m sure we can find something to use her for, after the ceremony," the first voice said. "She can be the entertainment. And we’ll feed her to the sharks after. Take her away. We’ll deal with her later. And use the special chains, she reeks of old demon power."

Buffy shuddered at his tone, and the horrible places his words took her imagination. As soon as she could move again she wasn’t sticking around for the post-ceremony festivities. Sharks and other things were not on her bucket list. And she was taking the brunette with her, of course. Just needed to find her.

"She’s waking up, Boss," the second voice, not-Igor, said.

"She’s not going to get up on her own," the first voice said, clearly gloating. "I wrote the stun spell on the portal myself."

Buffy fought against whatever spell had her stuck against the floor. Like all slayers she was slightly immune to certain kinds of magic if she’d encountered it in the past and built up immunity, but this wasn’t anything she’d been hit with before. She could feel a slight loosening of her stiff muscles but she wasn’t moving under her own power any time soon.

Buffy moaned as large hands pulled her up from the ground by her arms, almost dislocating her shoulders. She still couldn’t open her eyes but she could feel herself dangling several inches above the ground. And then her captor began to move. The pain of being carried like that distracted her from sensing where they were going. Several infinitely long minutes later, she was dropped onto damp ground, her back against a rough wall. She drew in a shuddering breath.

There was a rattle of chains, and Not-Igor began muttering to himself. "He knows my name," he said, in a low voice. "Two bit magician thinks he’s special just because he can do simple tricks. In the old days, we had real mages who could kill with a snap of their fingers."

The sounds got closer. Something cold, heavy metal, was put around her wrists and ankles. From the sounds they made, manacles and chains, she guessed. She was lifted into the air again, her arms above her head, her feet barely touching the ground. There was a large clinking sound and first her arms and then legs were attached to the wall. She still couldn’t move or open her eyes. But her moan in pain reflex seemed to be in working order.

"Blindfold?" Not-Igor said, poking her. "I know you can hear me, lady. I’m not dumb like the Boss. If you promise not to escape I won’t blindfold you. You can’t anyway, those chains are strong. A Fyarl demon couldn’t break them."

"No," Buffy said, coughing.

"You’re pretty, but I don’t like blondes," he said. "The girl before the last was a blonde. She screamed a lot during the ceremony. Didn’t help. It didn’t work. Fed her to the sharks like the others. I don’t like the screaming."

"What…" Buffy mumbled, unable to speak in full sentences yet. But her eyelids moved a little, just enough to let her see shadows but nothing detailed. There was a large figure near a large opening. Too far to reach even if she wasn’t still stunned.

"The Boss doesn’t like me giving away his plans," he said. "But this one isn’t going to work. You can’t marry a spirit bride."

"Marry…" Buffy struggled to understand.

"I have to go," Not-Igor said. "Have to get everything ready. The Boss can’t touch her until the ceremony ends and she has to be dressed right. Don’t trust the crazy lady vampire to get her ready without taking a nibble."

"Wait!" Buffy said, finally able to move.

"I’ll be back for you later," he said. "Don’t worry, it’ll be over quick. The Boss has strange ideas but I’m not into that." Turning he left the room, leaving her alone in the dim light.

"Great," Buffy said. "Not only did I lose that woman, but I’m chained to a wall waiting for my turn to scream. Jess and Vi better get here soon."

"Look at the pretty slayer," a woman’s voice said, interrupting Buffy before she could really start to rant. "All tied up and ready for some fun with the magic man."

"Of course," Buffy said, trying to twist herself free. "Crazy vampire. Drusilla. Who else could it be." The stun spell was wearing off but still not enough.

"Slayer," Drusilla said, coming into the room and stopping in front of Buffy. "The stars say you owe me. You took my Spike away."

"Don’t have him," Buffy said, trying to twist away from her. "He’s dead. Big flamey thing in Sunnydale."

"Not flamey," Drusilla said, "broken."

"He’s alive? Didn’t know that," Buffy said, frowning. She was going to have to look into that if she survived this. "So I don’t owe you then. So, go away and play somewhere else. I’d like to be alone."

Drusilla reached out and ran her cold fingers through Buffy’s hair. "I want to play," she said wistfully. She dragged her other hand down Buffy’s face, her throat, stopping briefly to rest it between Buffy’s breasts before letting go and stepping back.

"Umm…" Buffy stared at her, hoping her face wasn’t as red as she thought it was. "Not interested in playing."

"The stars say I can’t have you," Drusilla said, pouting.

"Good, good," Buffy said.

"Not even a nibble?" she said, looking up at the ceiling hopefully. She leaned forward and licked and nipped the side of Buffy’s neck. Buffy shivered, though she wasn’t sure if it was because of the cold or something else. 

"I’ve been good," Drusilla said. "I was nice to the girl. Dressed her up really pretty. She tasted really good. The mean magic man wasn’t happy. I think you would taste just as nice."

"Is she still alive?" Buffy asked angrily, struggling to get free, the stun spell having worn off completely by this point. She couldn’t reach her hidden stake.

"Just a taste," Drusilla said. She leaned forward again, gripping Buffy’s face, holding her still. She licked Buffy’s neck again, this time running her tongue along the bite scars left by Angel and Spike. She leaned back to look Buffy in the eyes. Buffy slammed them closed. She really didn’t need Drusilla putting the whammy on her. 

"It won’t hurt dearie," Drusilla said. "I’m much gentler with my pets than Spike and Daddy." Buffy couldn’t stop a moan from escaping as Drusilla returned to running her tongue and sharp teeth on her neck. It’d been a long time since anyone had given her this kind of physical attention, even unwanted. And then there was a sharp pain as Drusilla bit down and sucked briefly.

"Yes," Drusilla said, stepping back again, and licking her lips. "Delicious. The stars are right. You and the girl will go far together. The adventures you’ll have."

"What?" Buffy said, wincing at the pain from the bite when she moved her head. "What do you mean?" As a seer, Drusilla took things to a whole new level of in-comprehensiveness.

"Time to go, pretty Slayer," Drusilla said. "The Key’s other will be here soon with the Ragnok. They don’t like us. This is for you." She dropped a cold metal object down the front of Buffy’s blouse and then reached up and unhooked Buffy’s left hand, stepping back quickly to avoid getting hit when Buffy took the opportunity to swing at her. 

"Naughty, naughty!" Drusilla said, giggling. Moving in a fast blur, she stopped in the door to blow Buffy a kiss, before disappearing into the dark.

"Crazy vampire," Buffy said. "Someone needs a leash. Or a good staking." Shaking her free hand, she looked at the iron manacle. It might be useful as a weapon, but she’d rather be free. Reaching into her blouse, she found the small piece of metal that had come to rest above her bra. "Someone is going to miss this key," she said, looking at it.

Even with one arm free, escaping wasn’t going to be easy. Looking at the manacle and chain again, she noticed the end link was attached to a thick metal ring. Looking up, she could see the other manacle also ended in a metal ring attached to a hook. Reaching up with her free hand, she strained to pull the chain free from the hook. There was little give in the chains tying down her legs. Pushing herself up on her toes as far as possible, Buffy was able to unhook her right hand on the third try. "Going to feel this tomorrow," she said.

Sagging down to the floor, she shook her hands, trying to loosen them up. Then, taking the key Drusilla had given her, she quickly removed the manacles from her wrists and ankles. Hearing no sounds, she massaged her ankles and wrists for several minutes. Getting unsteadily to her feet, she took stock of herself.

Her few hidden weapons, a long knife, and several slim stakes, where still there. Apparently, this 'Boss' and his minion, Not-Igor, hadn’t been too concerned about her and hadn’t bothered searching for weapons. They were going to be in for a big surprise, she thought, nodding to herself. 

Her clothes were in decent shape given the treatment she’d received. She wasn’t exactly wearing haute couture, just some well made and fashionable clothes that traveled well. But also not her normal durable hunting clothes, which would have looked out of place in the bar. There was blood on her blouse, when Drusilla’s bite, and her sandals probably couldn’t be saved, but otherwise she was okay.

Hearing the sound of shuffling feet, she quickly hid next to the door. From the mumbling, it was the return of Not-Igor. He’d probably noticed the missing key and was coming to check on her. Which was too bad, for him.

He paused outside of the door, and then stuck his head in, not entering completely. "Where is she?" he said. He entered the room completely. "Oh, there you are," he said, happily, spotting her next to the door. "I thought the vampire had gotten you. She’s not normal."

"Drusilla and I had a chat," Buffy said sarcastically. "Looking for this?" She threw the key at his face, hitting him above an eye.

"Ouch! You shouldn’t have done that," Not-Igor said, his voice roaring with pain. "Now I’ll have to hurt you. The Boss isn’t going to be happy."

"We wouldn’t want that," Buffy said. "You can leave before I hurt you!"

"You’re just a tiny bit of a thing," he said, rubbing the eyebrow she’d hit. "I’m going to squash you. And feed you to the sharks. The Boss won’t remember you’re here."

"Not a fan of the shark option," Buffy said. She backed away from him as he came at her swinging his large hands. If he touched her it would be over in seconds, he was like a large windmill. She kept backing away from him, leading him around the room, until she reached where she’d been chained up.

"Just hold still while I tie you back up," he said.

"Nope," Buffy said. "Not gonna." Squatting down, she grabbed the manacles and chains that had been around her ankles. Swinging them in tight circles, she quickly backed away from him to give herself more room. And then she let fly with first one and then the other.

He dodged the first manacle, but he wasn’t fast enough to get away from the second one which hit him in the forehead above his good eye. "That hurt!" he shouted, rushing her.

"This’ll hurt more," she said, ducking under his swing and kicking him in the stomach, followed by a quick right to his chin. The combination knocked him to his knees. Picking up one of the manacles, she hit him again before he could get up, knocking him down completely.

Standing there, she watched him for several seconds, until it was clear he was unable to continue. "Huh," she said, surprised. He hadn’t looked that weak. Grabbing the collar of his shirt, she dragged him over to the wall where she’d been chained up earlier. 

"This isn’t going to work," she said, looking down. "Tiny manacles. Huge hands." She shook her head.

"Doesn’t have to be out for too long," she said, "and I’m not going to kill him just for being an unlucky minion. He’s not even a demon. The Ragnoks can have him." Taking one of the chains, she attempted to tie him up. "He’ll be out of that in seconds," she thought. "And we’re running out of time." Taking another chain she wrapped it around his ankles several times. Nodding, she decided she’d wasted enough time. "Let’s go rescue a 'spirit bride', whatever that means."

* * *

The lair was laid out like a maze, Buffy thought. She was never going to find them before it was too late. The mage seemed to go mostly for demon minions. Small stubby ones that vaguely reminded her of the ones crawling all over Glory, but not as tough. Killing them, in the few encounters along the way, was oddly cathartic. And she managed to pick up a spear from one of them, which speeded things up substantially, though not before she’d ruined her sandals. They really weren’t designed for stomping on demon heads.

At some point, she began to hear chanting in some demon language and started following it. It got louder as she progressed through the maze, eventually leading her to a large room with a high ceiling. In the middle was a black, stone altar, glistening in the smokey torchlight, on a large wooden stage.

Tied to it with gold looking chains was the brunette, or at least she hoped it was her. It was hard to tell given the lack of clothes. And the smoke. A tall, skinny man, with a scraggly beard that barely covered his chin, was hunched over her, reading from a scroll with occasional responses from a small creature perched on the brunette’s stomach.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, noticing her crossing the room. "Stop her!" he shouted at his remaining minions.

Sighing, Buffy waited for them to reach her before attacking. It was not even remotely a challenge. They crumpled before her. The quality of minion demons had certainly reached a new low.

"You can stop now," she said, chopping the head off the demon sitting on the brunette with a quick swing of her borrowed spear, stopping it with the sharp point just below his chin. He trembled though she couldn’t tell if it was rage at being interrupted or fear of the pointy object in his face.

"You aren’t allowed to interrupt," he screeched. "Go away before I curse you! I can drain all of your luck with a word. Your descendants will have bad luck to the tenth generation."

"If you feel that way," Buffy said, nodding grimly. She took curses seriously. Unfortunately, the Ragnok wanted him alive if at all possible. Swinging the spear around faster than a normal person could follow, she knocked him out with the wooden end of its shaft. Crumpling, he rolled off the stage onto the ground, into a pile of minion corpses.

"Kind of anticlimactic," Buffy said, grimacing. She got a better workout sparring with some of the new slayers. Leaning down, she picked up the scroll the mage had been reading from, giving it a quick glance. It was covered in really tiny print in a demon language she didn’t recognize. Putting it back down, she circled the altar.

The brunette was spread out on the altar, arms and legs chained to each corner. And nude. Typical, she thought. No thoughts for sacrifice comfort. Painted on her body in a pattern she couldn’t quite detect were symbols and words in the scroll’s language. "If we’re lucky, Drusilla didn’t destroy your clothes," Buffy said to her unconscious fellow kidnappee. "She was in an odd mood. Didn’t try to kill me, just did some odd licking and biting. Which we will never mention to the others."

"Let’s get you off there," she said. "Then we can find you something to wear."

Before she could figure out the chains, there was a clatter of many feet, and she heard her name shouted "Buffy?"

Turning around, she watched Vi, Jess and a dozen Ragnok demons led by Lady Sally enter the chamber.

"Over here!" she shouted. "Anyone got a blanket? Or a coat?"

"Why?" Vi asked, reaching the stage first.

"Minor case of nudity by the sacrifice," Buffy said, blocking view of the brunette. "And does anyone know her name?"

"Oh," Vi said. "Hey Jess, go back up top and find her something to wear."

"Up top?" Buffy asked, watching her leave.

"Wedding chapel," Vi said.

"Oddly appropriate," Buffy said, nodding. "One of the minions kept calling her a bride of some sort."

"She’ll need to ask for a refund. They’ve gone out of business," Vi said. "Sudden case of slayer."

"So, we’ve taken care of the mage, ready to head home?" Buffy said. "And does anyone know what he was actually doing? Other than feeding his failures to the sharks."

"Sharks?" Vi said. "Where?"

"Haven’t seen them," Buffy said. "Probably a trap door somewhere. So, what was he doing? When I write up my report someone is going to want to know."

"It was a binding ceremony," Lady Sally said, quickly reading the scroll. "And it looks incomplete."

"Interrupted him," Buffy said. "That’s good, right?"

"For us and the rest of the city? Yes," Lady Sally said. "For her? No."

"Why?"

"He was an amateur," Lady Sally said. "But this is powerful magic. He was attempting to gain control of the city’s magic through her."

"Would that have worked?" Vi asked, curious.

"No," Lady Sally said. "But if the ceremony is not completed now she will eventually die and her soul be lost to the abyss. It has been opened, prepared for the bonding, and is vulnerable until it is completed."

"Found her things," Jess said, rushing back into the chamber, "but no clothes. And this." She held up a white negligee.

"Better than nothing," Buffy said, before turning back to Lady Sally. "So how do we fix her?"

"Someone must complete the bond and consummate it," she said. "It must be one of her own kind."

"Consummate consummate it?" Buffy asked, blushing.

"That’s like getting married, right?" Vi asked.

"This has been used in the past for such a purpose," Lady Sally said, waving the scroll.

"I’ll do it," Buffy said. "Hadn’t planned on getting married any time soon anyway, and it’s sort of my fault for not getting here in time to stop it from happening. But we don’t tell anyone," she added. "Friends, relatives, Scoobies, gossips. No one!"

"Not fair," Jess said, pouting. "This would win me the Vegas Marriage pool."

"I’ll have to do an 'Eyes Only' for Giles but that’s it," Buffy said. "No betting."

"What about her?" Vi asked. "Doesn’t she have to agree to this?"

"How? She’s out, and it’s already started," Buffy said. "Do we have time for her to wake up?"

"She may not remember any of this," Lady Sally said, warning them. "They put a spell on her so she’d be compliant to their plans. It must be now."

"Can we break it?" Buffy asked. "Not into the whole non-consent aspect of this. Even if it’ll save her."

"There won’t be any choice," Lady Sally said. "Once the bonding ceremony is complete, you’ll be compelled to take the final step. Which may break the other spell."

"Okay," Buffy said. "But I need your word that you won’t discuss or mention this to anyone. Once her memory comes back, I’ll help her deal with it then." She grimaced as if swallowing something distasteful. "Do it." She turned around, putting a hand on the brunette’s nearest shoulder.

Nodding regally, Lady Sally opened the scroll and began reading.

* * *

Buffy carried her bond mate, Lorelai Leigh Gilmore according to the contents of her wallet, carefully through the remains of the Goth wedding chapel. As soon as they were out of there, the Ragnok tribe would deal with the appropriate Vegas authorities. They would also handle the mage and his human minion. Buffy hadn’t asked what their plans were for them. She was angry enough at the two men for the bonding she’d been forced into to save an innocent woman. She didn’t want to be involved in their punishment. Her reaction might not be healthy for them.

Reaching the parking lot, Buffy carefully placed Lorelai in the limousine provided by the Ragnoks. It would take them back to the Ragnok’s hotel that she, Vi, and Jess had been staying at. Vi and Jess would follow on their bikes.

"What’s the plan, Boss," Jess asked as they watched her make Lorelai comfortable.

"Take her back to my room, and deal with it," Buffy said. "And not a word to anyone," she repeated, for the umpteenth time. "This is between me and her."

"And then?"

"Don’t know when that spell will wear off, so we might be staying in Vegas longer than planned," Buffy told them.

"Bring her back to the office?" Vi asked. "Get Willow to look at her?"

"Not unless absolutely necessary," she said. "We have her name, and one of you needs to do some research, without alerting my sister. I’ll talk with Willow later, after she’s read my report."

"You’ll do your own paperwork?" Vi asked, causing Jess to giggle.

"I do it all the time," Buffy protested. "I’m very efficient. And stuff."

"That’s not what Dawn says," Vi said, grinning.

"Go away!" Buffy said. "We’ll talk in the morning."

"Have fun!" Jess said, causing Vi to punch her.

"That’s not appropriate!" she said. "This is job related. It’s not a hookup."

"Ladies, take it elsewhere," Buffy said, sliding into the limo next to Lorelai. "Our hosts can’t do cleanup with you standing there."

"Sorry," Vi said. Grabbing Jess by the arm, she dragged her towards their bikes. "Call us tomorrow," she shouted over her shoulder.

Buffy nodded, and leaned back in her seat, holding Lorelai in place. Looking at herself, she really hoped she didn’t get the cleaning bill for the mess they were making.

"What?" she said, jumping in surprise as her fellow passenger cuddled up to her as soon as the limo started moving. She hoped that was a good sign.

* * *

Her hotel room hadn’t felt so crowded until now. In addition to her sleeping bond mate, there was a large tray of assorted delicacies, and a note from Lady Sally explaining the need for energy. She wasn’t sure if she should take it seriously or not. Or if it was some Ragnok joke. This was a first for her. But she was hungry and saw no reason to quibble. Dealing with the mage and his minions hadn’t been extremely strenuous but still took energy.

The concierge at the front desk, not blinking at her appearance or that of the woman in her arms, had promised to find clothes for her bond mate for the morning.

A shower would be best, she decided, for both of them. Whatever happened tonight, she couldn’t do it covered in minion guts and juices. And Lady Sally had assured her that the symbols and writing covering Lorelai had served their purpose and could be removed.

"Best get this thing going," Buffy said, turning around to look at her companion on the bed. She seemed to be slowly waking up, murmuring to her self, and moving around on the bed. But she hadn’t opened her eyes yet. Buffy cautiously stepped over to the bed. Sitting down on the edge, she reached out and gently took Lorelai’s hand.

"Time to wake up, Sleeping Beauty," she said softly. Other than slight movement, there was no response. "Wake up," she tried again, this time pulling her closer.

"Go away, Mom," Lorelai said, her voice barely understandable.

"I’m not your mom, Lorelai," Buffy said, leaning forward to look at her face. Something compelled her to kiss the tip of her nose.

"'M not Lorelai," she said, eyes still closed. "Not me."

"No? Who are you?" Buffy asked, this time kissing her nearest cheek.

"Soft kisses," not-Lorelai said. "More please."

"Who are you?" Buffy asked again, following up the question with another kiss, this time on her other cheek. She vaguely wondered if she was also now being affected by the bonding. But the kissing seemed to be more important.

"Rory," the woman said. "Lorelai’s my mom." She opened her eyes and looked up at Buffy. "Pretty," she said. "Who are you?"

"Buffy," Buffy said, kissing her again. "All yours."

"Is your sister named Muffy Or your brother named Biff?" Rory said, giggling. Moving, she briefly brushed her lips across Buffy’s.

"No," Buffy said, returning the kiss, with more firmness.

"Kissing. Fun," Rory said, sitting up. "I’m hungry."

Buffy slipped off the bed, and held out a hand. "We have food." 

"I’m hot," Rory said, pulling off the negligee and tossing it on the floor. "And someone’s been writing on me." She rubbed at the symbols on her arms. "Greasy and it tingles."

"You were at a party," Buffy said, taking her arm and pulling her to her feet. "We’re going to take a shower and wash it all off."

"Still hungry," Rory said, seemingly unconcerned about her nakedness.

"Apple?" Buffy asked, pulling her over to the table piled with food. "Then a shower." She grabbed an apple and held it out to Rory.

"Good," Rory mumbled after taking a bite. "You don’t look like the Evil Queen. Will this keep the doctor away?"

"Not evil," Buffy said, dropping her hand and wrapping an arm around Rory’s waist. "Shower. I’m feeling grimy too."

"You smell," Rory said wrinkling her nose, and looking at Buffy. "And you’re short."

"Let’s get us cleaned up," Buffy said. "Criticise later."

"I like your hair," Rory said, following Buffy into the bathroom. "Wow," she said looking around, her eyes landing on a shower that would make a mermaid jealous. 

Nodding, Buffy started stripping. "It’s great," she said, unbuttoning her blouse, and pulling down her pants. "Need to get one for home."

"You’re getting naked," Rory said, breathlessly. She reached out and ran a finger along Buffy’s shoulders, tugging at her bra straps.

"Showers with clothes aren’t fun," Buffy said, unhooking her bra and pulling it off. Dropping it on her blouse on the floor, she gasped when Rory started pulling on the waistband of her panties.

"I can help," Rory said, pulling them down. Buffy put a hand on her shoulder to steady herself.

"Thanks," she mumbled. Stepping out of them, she pulled Rory into the shower, holding her steady as she closed the shower door, and then turned on the water. "Let’s get you clean first," she said, grabbing her loofah and body wash, when Rory started running her hands up and down Buffy’s stomach and chest.

"You feel really soft," Rory said, stopping to gently rub Buffy’s belly button. "You have an innie."

"And you have nice hands," Buffy said, as she began to gently wash away the writing on Rory’s arms and legs.

* * *

"Spit spot, all sparkly," Rory said, sitting on the bed as Buffy gently dried her, carefully checking for any remaining writing.

"Yes, all clean," Buffy said, leaning down to kiss a bite mark, where she’d bitten down a little too hard in the shower, leaving a crescent shaped mark.

"More kissing?" Rory asked hopefully. "And other things?"

"All the other things you want," Buffy said, winking at her.

"Fun things," Rory mumbled, pulling up Buffy to kiss her. "Sexy things." Cupping Buffy’s breasts with her hands, she rubbed her nipples with her thumbs, causing Buffy to gasp. When Buffy started to moan, Rory pulled her down onto the bed and whispered in her ear. "All sorts of things," she said, lightly biting down on her earlobe.

* * *

Lying in bed, wrapped around Rory, the early morning sun peaking through a curtain, Buffy couldn’t remember falling asleep. She wasn’t ready to get up. Rory was an excellent cuddler, and soft. She didn’t want to let go, though she knew she needed to.

They’d spent what seemed like hours exploring each other, in a bonding induced haze. Buffy didn’t consider herself inexperienced, though it had been a while since she’d indulged in such close intimate contact with another person, and never another woman. But things had just seemed to flow. 

There’d been no thought involved, just instinct. Touching each other in intimate places multiple times during the night. She’d lost track of the mind blowing orgasms given and received. Hard and fast. Gentle and slow. And constant touching. And delight that neither had been a virgin when this started, avoiding additional drama.

She wasn’t sure what to classify it as. It hadn’t been just sex. There had been deeper feelings involved. And no guilt. She was sure there should have been, after the forced bonding, but there was none. But she was sure, knowing herself, that it would come later. She wasn’t allowed to have potentially good things happen like this bonding. But not yet, so she was going to enjoy the guilt-free-ness of the morning.

Sighing, she disentangled herself from Rory. Rolling over she slid off the bed. Room service first, and then a shower. And then she needed to do something. Needed to take care of Rory. Whatever was best. Even if it meant never seeing her again. She stood there at the side of the bed, and watched Rory sleep for several long minutes. Memorizing everything she could see and smell. Imprinting on her mind the loveliness, the softness, the desirability that was Rory Gilmore. Putting it away for those inevitable lonely nights on the road. And noticing the returning glow.

* * *

Sitting on the couch, sipping the amazing coffee that had been brought up while she was showering, Buffy contemplated the contents of her room. The food, the clothes brought up for Rory, and the woman herself. She would do everything she could to protect her, and not involve her in the world inhabited by the Council. Hopefully Rory would never remember what happened and could move on with her life.

Buffy wasn’t sure what effect the bond would have on both of them. Right now, it was like a faint feeling in the back of her head that told her she was no longer alone. A connection to someone else. Would it ever become something more? She didn’t know. Another thing to discuss with Willow. Some day in the far future.

But right now, she needed to make a decision. She had an hour until she needed to get to the airport. Something was going on in Idaho and she needed to go.

"Coffee?" Rory’s soft voice broke into her thoughts. Focusing, she found herself looking into the slightly confused eyes of her bond mate. The slight fogginess from the previous night was gone, the mysterious glow in full force. Slight curiosity, but no fear, flowed through their faint link. And no hint on her face of any memories of the night before. Good. She knew how to handle this.

Silently pointing at the carafe of fresh coffee, she waited to see what Rory would do.


End file.
